


chocolate chip

by tenxfruit



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Disability, Homophobia, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun-centric, M/M, Past Child Abuse, References to Depression, Strangers to Lovers, jaehyun can't taste anything, taeyong owns a coffee shop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17330282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tenxfruit/pseuds/tenxfruit
Summary: "your cookies taste great, hyung!"in which an overly compassionate boy, jaehyun, finds himself returning to a certain cafe on a daily basis. every visit, he orders something and preaches to the small cafe's owner, taeyong, about how great it tastes. the only problem is, jaehyun actually can't taste anything.





	1. un

the bells chimed as jaehyun walked through the door of the new cafe with a smile on his face. he glanced around the small shop before walking to the counter to order. behind the counter stood a boy with exceptional beauty. his name tag read taeyong. it took a few seconds for jaehyun to regain his thoughts before ordering.

"i'll have a black coffee, please," jaehyun said with a smile while sliding his money over the counter. for a second, the boy, taeyong, seemed disappointed. 

"alright. can i have your name for the order?" taeyong smiled. it took everything in jaehyun not to let his knees give out beneath him. 

"jaehyun. jung jaehyun." 

"okay, jaehyun. you can sit down and i will bring you your order shortly." taeyong gave one last perfect smile before turning and starting to make jaehyun's coffee.  
jaehyun walked to a small table next to a window and sat down to wait. the table was a faded brown wood that felt cool beneath his fingers. jaehyun rubbed his hands together, hoping to gain some warmth after stepping in from the cold winter weather. 

jaehyun looked around the beautiful cafe. it seemed to have a rustic theme inside, with faded wood used as an accent throughout the store. he decided he would come back more often, telling himself it was so that he could study.

 

a minute later, jaehyun's thoughts were broken to see taeyong setting down his coffee on the table. few words were exchanged between the boys as jaehyun looked into taeyong's eyes. they were a warm brown, something that made jaehyun feel hotter than his coffee. taeyong cleared his throat and with a small smile and walked back to the counter to continue working. 

jaehyun grinned and shook his head, bringing his coffee to his lips and taking a quick sip. the black liquid was hot, almost burning jaehyun's tongue. it felt like hot water in his mouth, tasteless and numbing. jaehyun was once again reminded of his stupid life. 

he pictures the day, long ago when his father came to cheer him on at a basketball game. it was a bright memory, feeling the warmth of support and the sun on his back. the next thing thing he remembered was when he quit that same sport to pursue his dream, becoming a singer. it was a hard day, with red eyes and a hoarse throat.  
then jaehyun thought of the day he came out to his parents. while his mother was as supportive as a christian mom could be, his father did not take it well. that night when he came home, his father was drunk and stumbling, calling for jaehyun. 

that was the day his life got a little more fucked up. 

his dad was never the nicest man, he always had anger within him. jaehyun supposed that the day he said those words were the last straw for him.  
with his mother locked in the master bedroom, jaehyun was taught his lesson.

"do not say those words to me, jung yoonoh. do not lie to your father. "

his father's words burned jaehyun's mind more than the countless times he was hit that night. 

"but i'm not lying to you, father. don't you get it? it’s the truth. it’s me!"

the neighbours rescued jaehyun late in the night after waking up to horrifying screams. he was taken away to the hospital, unconscious and covered in blood. the nurses said to jaehyun that it was a close call, that he was lucky that he woke up. 

the physical damage was mind-numbingly painful, but he would get better. 

well, he would mostly get better. 

the brain damage caused by the abuse was among the hardest for jaehyun; he was left with the permanent inability to taste anything. his appetite left along with much of his happiness as his life spiralled downwards, living solely with his mother. jaehyun quit singing as depression gripped his mind, finding himself not being able to get out of bed on most days. 

his friends johnny and doyoung had been so close with him before the incident 2 years ago. now, it was getting harder for them to find ways to get jaehyun out of his house. 

recently, they had a breakthrough. they bought jaehyun a clean notebook, with a brown cover. now that he thinks of it, the colour reminds him of taeyong's gorgeous eyes.  
the notebook was to be used for journaling and poetry, they said. he could write about anything he wanted, whenever he needed to. it had been hard to get used to at first, but now, jaehyun sees his journal as his most prized possession, bringing it wherever he goes, writing so often that you would usually see ink marks on his hands.

jaehyun opened his journal and he took another sip of his coffee. as he wrote, he found his mind drifting towards the baker behind the counter. jaehyun decided to get a cookie tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to my newest book! (its actually not new at all, its been sitting in my drafts for over a year)  
> i originally posted the first chapter of this on wattpad a long time ago as a bts fanfic then lost all of my interest in writing it. a year or so later, and i've decided to revamp it as an nct fic!
> 
> please enjoy and leave comments to let me know your thoughts or suggestions!!!
> 
> find me on:  
> twitter: @tenxfruit  
> wattpad: @jibootycalls  
> instagram: @sebootycalls


	2. deux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone ! the second chapter is finally complete ^^
> 
> please note that this chapter uses a homophobic slur and by no means do i intend to reflect my own beliefs in that horrible character. read this at your own risk 
> 
> anyway, enjoy !

the cookie was bland. not that that was an insult coming from jaehyun, seeing as everything felt bland to him. it was tasteless but somehow still left a warm feeling in his mouth that made him smile distantly.

jaehyun brought the white ceramic mug to his lips, letting the smooth feeling of fresh coffee glide down his throat. he wished that he wasn't so boring, ordering a black coffee at the little coffee shop- clearly used to making complex yet beautiful drinks. it was simply that the young boy felt no need to buy anything extravagant- he couldn't taste it anyway. 

drawing his attention down into his worn out notebook, jaehyun picked up his favourite black pen and began to fill the page. he wrote words inspired by the humming of the coffee maker- the clicking of keys on a college student's laptop, and the relaxed conversations between people that brought a new livelihood to the shop. 

jaehyun described images and metaphors of the world around him. his words were messy yet organized perfectly, and he filled pages with small doodles. a steaming coffee cup, a relaxed smile, and a certain pair of breathtaking eyes. 

doyoung and johnny had noticed the difference, they saw how jaehyun was gradually beginning to open up more, going to that one coffee shop much more than necessary. they were happy though, because whatever was in that shop that was making jaehyun so interested, was something to hold on to. 

taeyong slowly began to spend more time with the younger boy- finding peace in his company. jaehyun was like a breath of fresh air everyday and taeyong just couldn't get enough. 

sitting together in a booth in the far corner of the shop while taeyong had his break became an everyday routine. taeyong would bring out his lunch, along with a new treat he baked each day. 

jaehyun still didn't have the heart to break the news to the older, so he chose to smile instead, saying, 'your cookies taste great, hyung!'

the stunning smile of joy on taeyong's face was always worth the lie.

 

the weeks started to roll by, and as if they had known each other for years, jaehyun and taeyong met daily within the walls of the little cafe.  
it was just another regular day when it happened. 

 

jaehyun had come, as usual, to have a hot cup of coffee and see taeyong on a cold winter day. he sat at his usual table as he waited for the older boy's break to start.  
the door made a jingling sound as someone walked in. jaehyun glanced up briefly from his notebook and froze.

it took a few moments for it to register. but when it did, the emotions came flooding back.

his own father had walked through the doors of his only safe haven and jaehyun was flung into the past once again, unable to control the horror ripping through his body.  
he felt the ghosts. the ghosts of pain, regret and heartache as his father held him down. the shame ingrained in his body and he was back in that bed two years ago with his father beating him senselessly. 

he was back in the moment when the alcohol stole his father from him. when his father left because he couldn't handle having a son who just wanted to be himself.  
the seconds felt like hours and all those emotions drained when him and the man made eye contact. it had been two years. and jaehyun could tell right away that he hadn't changed. 

his father stumbled over to him with fiery eyes and grabbed him. jaehyun was struck with so much self pity for feeling unbearably small as the man wrapped his fingers around his skinny arm. 

"you're coming with me right now. i can't believe i've let you run off being a fag for two years already. it’s time for you to stop acting like this." his father stated, poison dripping from his every word. 

the older man tightened his grip and started to pull jaehyun away when he heard the most beautiful voice from behind him. 

taeyong walked calmly in front of jaehyun, pulling him out of his former abuser's grasp. 

"excuse me, but i have to kindly ask you to leave before i call the police. i will not tolerate harassment and hate speech in my shop." taeyong stated with words as sharp as knives.

"i will not leave. this is my son and i am simply taking him home." his father uttered angrily. 

"the police are already on their way. leave now, or get dragged out of here. either way, i don't care. but you deserve nothing from jaehyun, you sorry excuse of a parent." taeyong responded. 

his father looked between the two, disgust clearly contorting on his face. he gave one last look at jaehyun before walking away, through the door and into the darkness of the street. 

jaehyun didn't realize he was crumbling until he felt taeyong's arms wrapped securely around his figure. 

"shh, its okay. i'm here for you. it's okay," he heard, and finally jaehyun let go. he cried into the shorter boy's arms and instead of weeping in fear, he cried in relief and he cried because he trusted taeyong. he trusted the older boy so much and in that moment he realized how far he had fallen.

he felt safe again.

he needed to tell taeyong.

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my newest book! (its actually not new at all, its been sitting in my drafts for over a year)  
> i originally posted the first chapter of this on wattpad a long time ago as a bts fanfic then lost all of my interest in writing it. a year or so later, and i've decided to revamp it as an nct fic!
> 
> please enjoy and leave comments to let me know your thoughts or suggestions!!!
> 
> find me on:  
> twitter: @tenxfruit  
> wattpad: @jibootycalls  
> instagram: @sebootycalls


End file.
